Nebraskaland Magazine
Another long-awaited, new reservoir has opened for fishing! Anglers grab your gear!
Danish Alps State Recreation Area to open for public use
LINCOLN — Danish Alps State Recreation Area (SRA) near Hubbard will open to the public on Wednesday, July 8, at 9 a.m.
The 746-acre area includes RV and tent camping, equestrian camping facilities, day use areas, a walking and hiking trail and excellent angling and wildlife watching opportunities.
Kramper Reservoir, a 226-acre lake, was planned with shoreline fishing and boat fishing in mind, and a wide spectrum of aquatic habitat features were incorporated to make this new reservoir suitable for fish to reproduce and grow rapidly. The lake has been stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, walleye and channel catfish.
Come fall, hunting will also be permitted on portions of the SRA.
“It’s a good all-purpose recreation area with outstanding angling opportunities” said Jim Swenson, parks division administrator for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
The wet spring and summer slowed construction efforts for some facilities at the SRA, and as a result, not all services may immediately be available and landscaping is not yet complete. However, an excellent fishing outlook and excitement from anglers led Game and Parks and the Papio-Missouri Natural Resources District to open the park for public use sooner rather than later.
A grand opening celebration is scheduled for Aug. 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The celebration will be open to the public and will offer boat tours, fishing demonstrations and other activities.
Anglers are reminded that Kramper Lake is a no-wake lake and that live bait fish are not allowed. Boaters are asked to clean, drain and dry their boats to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species such as zebra mussels. A Nebraska Park Entry Permit is required for each vehicle entering the park. Park permits are available at OutdoorNebraska.org and at Hook, Line & Sinker and Wal-Mart, both in South Sioux City.
Here is another aerial view from the dam looking south. This was taken during construction and it will give you an idea of some of the features that are now under water.
This reservoir was built for flood control and recreation by the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resource District. We, the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, are proud to partner with entities like the Papio-Missouri River NRD during new reservoir construction. A lot of features can be incorporated into a new reservoir that will benefit water quality, aquatic habitat and fishing for years to come. It is a lot easier to build reservoirs with that in mind than it is to go back years later to rehabilitate them.
Here is more information on the project, reservoir, and recreation area from the Omaha World-Herald, Expectations are deep for Kramper Lake.
Here are some more pictures I snapped just a few weeks ago:
There will be fish present in Kramper large enough to be caught right now. Largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, walleye and black crappie have been stocked. The black crappie were stocked only last fall, so do not expect any of those fish to be very large yet. Some largemouth bass and bluegill were stocked in the fall 2012 and those fish will have grown relatively fast in the new reservoir habitat; those fish will be large enough to catch, but do NOT expect any large fish to be present. Likewise, the walleyes were stocked as fingerlings just a year ago, and some 10-inch channel catfish have been stocked in the past couple of years. Give ’em all some time to grow yet.
Oh, and do not even think of transporting ANY fish to the reservoir on your own. More than one fishery has been ruined by illegal stockings by well-intentioned “bucket biologists”. No live baitfish will be allowed at the reservoir to reduce the risk of something showing up in there that we do NOT want. Other than that, and the 5 mph, no-wake boating limit, statewide fishing rules and regulations will apply at Kramper Reservoir.
There is a contour map/brochure in the works. Here is a draft of what that is going to look like:
Sorry to tease you with that small version of the map. That is the best I can show you at this time. When the final version is done, it will be much larger and we will make it available, immediately!
I have always said that in Nebraska, every body of water, every fishery is important. We need every one, and need to maximize the fisheries potential of every one. Kramper certainly fills that bill and now it is time to GO FISH!
